Long story short

We offer our opinions on new impetus for a minimum wage hike, enforcement of residency requirements in Albany County government, and good news about commuting in the Capital Region.

Now, this is good news: Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos says his conference might be willing to support a minimum wage increase after all.

“Last year, the economy was in such a fragile state that it was the wrong time to do it,” Mr. Skelos told guests at Wednesday’s Crain’s Business Breakfast Forum in New York City. “What I think can be done this year — the economy is improving — is we can have a serious discussion if there’s a way to implement it.”

OK, it’s not exactly a full-throated commitment to the increase Democrats have been pushing for, $7.25 an hour to $8.75, but even opening the door would seem to be a good sign that low-wage workers will soon see some relief.

Nor is it a surprise: A recent Quinnipiac poll found that 80 percent of New York voters support an increase. Among Republicans, support runs 61 percent. Mr. Skelos can surely read the political winds as well as anyone.

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A residency requirement for employment in Albany County government was looking like one of the worst-enforced laws around. Even in the sheriff’s department, it was ignored with a wink and nod, and selectively enforced at best.

But what to do?

County leaders seem headed toward a sensible solution: Give people a year to comply. Granted, neither the job nor the housing markets are sizzling these days, but a year seems reasonable to either get a new place or find a new job. Residency was, after all, a condition of employment.

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It’s probably small consolation to those Albany County employees who will have to move that they won’t have as far to commute. The fact is that commuting is lot less painful in this region than other metro areas, as we were glad (but unsurprised) to learn from a report put out by Texas A&M Transportation Institute.

The average commuting time around here is 22 minutes, compared with better than an hour for some New York City commuters and — hold on to your hot coffee — almost three hours in Washington for rides that ought to take 30 minutes.

Planners say traffic is smoother here because it isn’t pouring into one city but dispersing to three. What they don’t say is another likely reason for light traffic — fewer people and jobs.

Not to be greedy, but if state and regional transportation mavens could only solve the daily bottleneck at the Twin Bridges, we might shave a tad more off those daily commutes, while getting ahead of the congestion that is sure to follow the region’s likely growth. Light rail, anyone?